InkJet Age

DEC 2014

Inkjet's Age, a print supplement to Quick Printing, is a business and technology brand dedicated to corporate and senior management and focusing on issues surrounding inkjet printing technology in all its forms. Inkjet's Age covers the industry news,

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www.MyPRINTResource.com DECEMBER 2014 • INKJET'S AGE 15 Sanker: There are new and old segments of general commercial printing that we see converting to digital production and utiliza- tion of production inkjet. Materials that were once only static are now custom, and new designs for brochures and catalogs can now be done with smaller lots and more frequency because stor- age cost, inventory expense, obsolescence, and waste are being driven out of the equation from a supply-chain perspective. In large measure, this applies to a large portion of commercial print- ing applications; and as print buyers and brand managers learn of these developments, we see more general applications and new designing opportunities from the creative side. Shafer: I think you will see more and more variable-data print- ing opportunities. These printers can go to their existing and new clients and offer something they have never had before in print: opportunities for personalized content. That is a real game chang- er. It is a great tool for attracting readers and subscribers that have left and another tool in 'web-to-print' models. Williams: The future of inkjet has the ability to bring more printing in house for industries that have routinely done multiple steps in printing transactional and trans-promotional products. We also see more direct mail being produced by inkjet with the ability to personalize each piece. Personalized direct mail cam- paigns have been proven to be more effective with consumers compared to bulk un-personalized mail campaigns. IA: What do you think we will see in terms of new technolo- gies and applications during 2015? Boer: The biggest technological breakthrough is the ability of the new generation of inkjet production printers to print on coat- ed offset stock. One can't predict what print shops will ultimately use this technology for, but rest assured that they will find ways of deploying this technology to create new applications that you and I probably could not have thought of. It will have far-reach- ing implications for years to come on our entire printing industry, well beyond the traditional document printing we typically think of when thinking of digital, continuous-feed production printers. These are exciting times: a time of renaissance for the print indus- try. In few other market sectors does one see such growth rates! Graupman: There are numerous enhancements and improve- ments that will drive up the rate of inkjet adoption and build vol- umes. These include ink, heads, and papers as well as automated missing jet detection and auto correction. Another exciting opportunity that will be realized is workflow automation: productivity gains will be achieved with fewer steps; less human intervention with more artificial intelligence in auto- mating routines, inspections and quality assurance. Fast forward in an inkjet world, we believe: • Companies of all sizes will eventually be able to run lights out. • Applications will include transactional marketing, packaging, mass-customized direct mail, and books (both trade and full color educational). • Printing on foils, plastics, and 3D objects are on the horizon. Sanker: We will have to see what specifically develops; how- ever, one could reasonably expect improvements in substrate performance, expansion of available paper types, and overall a higher level of awareness around the technology. We could also see improvements in software development for supporting these solutions, and new workflow enhancements to increase automa- tion, job handling, and further integration. Shafer: Probably some advances in speed and the variety of substrates, i.e. coated stock. As time marches on, ink vendors are able to make improvements to their inks based on customers' needs and the desire to enter new market segments. Williams: What I see as we move into the future of production inkjet is new applications, such as packaging, where the packages can be turned quickly and be cost effective for lower specialized quantities. In the age of so much online purchasing I see the need to make the packages more exciting to receive. With production inkjet we can personalize, add color, and even add comments to the front of the box. I also see the development of better inks that will yield even brighter colors and clarity in print. As the future develops so will different applications and better inks and print heads for the presses. ✚ Direct mail is the application where there is "unlimited" upside, driven in part by the fact that rising postage costs are going to force retailers to better mine their customer data in order to make more relevant offers.

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